Rotary expansion valve



. T. l. POTTER y ROTARY EXPANSION VALVE Filed-Nov. l0. 1926 ,v am.

Patented Dec. 4,1928. I

PAT-ENT OFFICE.

THOMAS I. POTTER, F BORTLAND, OREGON.

no'rAaY EXPANSION VALVE.

.application mea Noveinber 1o, 192s' serial Nei-47,535.

lo ant can beaccurately measured and delivered to an expansion system without the employment of small or delicate or expensive parts or those subject to objectionable wear or deterioration such as is common withori dinary expansion valves.

The second ob'ect is .to'so construct the de- Ivice that it will e'capable of handling various volatile and expansible substances by utilizing their natural tendency to expand as y a means for propelling same through a transfer device'. The thirdobject is to so construct the valve that any :foreign matter seeking lodgment therein will be carried away, due to the operation of the valveit-self. f

These, and other objects, will become .more apparent from the specification following asl illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which: I e -Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view through the valve` and a portion of the compresser case on which it is mounted showing the driving shaft and its bearing. Figure 2 is a transverse section taken along-the line 2-2 yin Figure 1. -Figu`re 3 is an enlarged section showing the intake pocket registering with the measuring pocket. Figure 4 is an enlarged section showing the discharge ocket receiving a charge from the measur- 0 ing pocket. Figure 5 is a section through the valve showing all of the pockets and ports out of register. Figure 6 illustrates a condition similar to Figure '3 in whichl the intak-e pocket is discharging refrigerant into the measuring pocket.Y Figure 7 is similar to Figures 5 and 6 but showing the intake pocket registering with the intakeport and the discharge pocket registering with the discharge ort. Figure 8 is similar to Figures 5, 6 and gbut showing only the discharge pocket registering with the measuring pocket` Figure 9 is an outside elevation of the device as a separate unit.

Similar numbers of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

side of the disk 11 is Referring in detail to the drawings, there is illustrated a portion of a compressor case 10 in which is rotatably mounted a. valve'disk- 11 whose wearing or seat side is cut away at the center 12 for seating purposes. The rear rovided with a slot 13 which receives the attened end 14 of the shaft 15 which journals in the be'aring 16. A friction washer 17 is provided in the members 14 vand 16. A spring .18 in the shaft 15 holds the valve disk toits seat. In the seat 4149 of the -valve are providedtwo curved recesses or pockets 20 and 21. The ocket 20'Hon the lar r radius will be' refe to as the intake poc etand the pocket 21on the smaller radius will be referred to as vthe `discharge pocket. v V

An intakei pipe 22 fromthe receiver passes through the case 10 inthe path'of the pocket 20. discharge pipe 23 which connects with an ex ansion system (not shown) passes through t e case 10 inthe path of the pocket 21.

On the side of the case 10` approximately equidistant i from' the pipes 22 and 23 is formed a stuliing box 24 provided with a gland 25 throug which passes a. threaded stem 26' Whose position in the hole 27 determines the amount of refrigerant delivered at each revolution of the shaft 15.V The hole 27 will be referred to as a measuring pocket.

In Figure 9 the elements are similar to those in Figure 8 except that the casing 28 encloses the valve and the stuiiing box 29 surrounds the shaft 15, which isprovided with a ulley 30 `for driving purposes. It is prefera le to provide a hole 31 in the 4disk ll for the balancing of pressure and. to insure `proper lubrication ofthe disk. .Lubricant 32 may be admitted through the pipe 33 in the 9g, casingV 28, which pipe may also serve .for providing a pressure within the casing 28 in event it is desired to seat the disk by means of fluid pressure, as Well as spring pressure.

The operation of thevalve is as follows:

Assuming that the shaft 15y is being rotated and that the pipe 22 is connected with a re- .cever and the pipe 23 is connected with an expansion system and'that the pipe 33 is connected with a suitable pressure maintaining rappar-atus, a double or twolco1nplctc cycles will be described, including theoriginal load-' ing of the valve and the second or natural functioning of the valvefwhich is thc working cycle. It is to be understood that the 'exists within lthe pocket 20.

first cycle described is `only that of the first' rotation of the valve, although it is possiblei that in some instances it would not be operating at its full efiiciencv until anumber of revolutions had been made.

t It is assumed. that the pockets 20 and 21, as well as the measuring pocket 27, are empty and that the valve moves in the direction indicated in Figures 5 to 8 inclusive. The first step in the cycle is illustrated in Figure 7 in which the pocket 21 -registers with the discharge port 23 causing a partial vacuum to be established in the pocket 21. While the pocket 2O has been registering with the port 22 practically no fluid will enter this port, owing to the fact that no reduced pressure As the disk rotates to the position shown in Figure S'itwill be observed that the pocket 21 registers with the measuring pocket 27 during which time there is a balancing of pressure in which there is a slight drop lin the measuring pocket pressure and a slight rise in the vdischarge pocket pressure.

In Figure 5 is illustrated a condition, of overlap in which there isvno connection between any of the ports and pockets. In Figure 6 the empty pocket 20 is passing the empty pocket 27. However, at the beginning of the second revolution the more or j less complete vacuum in the pocket 20 will permit fluid to enter Vthe pocket 20 by way of the port 22, due to its combined expansion and occupancy of the previously evacuated pocket 20. This fluid remains in the pocket 20 until it has again lregistered with the measuring pocket 27, whose somewhat reduced pressure permits of a still further expansion of the fluid from the pocket 20 into the measuring pocket 27 where it remains until the discharge pocket 21, which has now been subjected to a reduced pressure, crosses or registers with the measuring pocket 27.

The liquid vnowV is transferred by a still further'ex'pansion into'the discharge pocket from which it laterf escapes through the port 23.

While the description of the double cycle may appear somewhat involved, what actually transpires is that a partial vacuum is established on the discharge pocket 2l every time it registers with its port 23 and in passing the measuring pocket the evacuated discharge pocket empties the measuring pocket and later discharges its own contents into an expansion system, or as otherwise seems fit.

The function of the intake pocket is merely to transfer fluids from the intake port to the empty measuring chamber from which it is picked up by the discharge pocket, as above describe y 1. An expansionyalve having a pair of relatively movable contacting members-one of said membershaving a measuring pocket` to hold it to its seat, said ing a variable size measuring and inlet and outletorts formed therein; and a second member havin a pair of transfer pockets therein each o .which registers only with its respective inlet or outlet port and both of which transfer pockets can register with said measuring pocket,

2. A rotary valve having va bod a disk journaling in'the inside of said badly; means for maintaining pressure against said disk bodyvhavin an intake port openingthroughsame exten ing to the valve seat, said disk having an intake pocket adapted to re ister with said intake port intermittentl Aduring the vrotation of said disk, said dis also having a dischar e pocket on a radiusdiferent than saidinta e pocket, said body also having a discharge port opening adapted to register intermittently with said discharge pocketdurin the rotation of said disksaid pocket also avket adapted to register with both of said intake and discharge pockets alternately.

' 3. A valve for delivering measured qxuantities of an expansible fluid from a relatlvely high pressure zone to a lower4 pressure zone consisting of a stationary measurin pocket; and two associated movable trans er cham'- bers adapted tol 'register therewith successively in a manner that the higher pressure fluid may be admitted'to the first moving pocket and transferred thereby into sai measuring pocket and then expanded from there into the second' transfer pocket from which it is carried to its point of dischar 4. Ajvalve for handling expansible `iltuds consisting of astationary member; a movable member seated' against said stationary member, one ofsaid membershaving inlet and outlet ports' formed therein as well. as a measuring pocket provided with means for varying its eubical capacity, the second mem ber having a pair of transfer pockets formed therein facing said first member, said trans-4 fer pockets traveling over separate paths on said seat, each of said pockets registering with an outlet and inlet port during lts travel during which travel both of said transfer ports can register 'successively with said measuring port.

5. A rotary valve havin rotatably mounted therein a seatedy dis having pockets formed in its seating face andan associated chamber adapted to receive the contents of one pocket and transfer saine into the second pocket during the rotation cf said disk disk pockets; and a second means for receiving liquid from the second pocket.

6. A rotary valve having rotatably mounted therein a seated disk having pockets formed in its seating face and an associated adjustable chamber .adaptedto receive the means for admitting liquid to one of said contents of `one pocket and transfer same into the second pocket during the rotation of said disk; and means'for receiving liquid from the second pocket.

7. A rotar expansion valve consistingof arotatable isk; a bod;7 forming a journal I for said disk and having an adjustable meas'- uring pocket formed therein facing the seat of said disk, saidbody also having a pair of ports passing through same and opening against the seat of said disk, said disk hav- I ing a pair of curved pockets formed in its seat concentric'therewith at unequal radii,

each of said curved pockets registering 'withl its respective port andboth of said curved pockets registering with said measuring pocket.

- THOMAS I. POTTER. 

